Road improvements to be deferred

Road improvements in West Sussex and the East Midlands will be deferred as part of £683 million of savings to be made by the Department for Transport (DfT), it has been announced.

Among the hefty cuts being made across the board by the DfT, £54 million will be saved postponing transport projects - including improvements to the A453 in the East Midlands and the A23 in West Sussex.

Network Rail's (NR) spending will also be reduced and grants to Transport for London (TfL) will be shrunk as part of the cuts package.

Specific grants from the DfT to local authorities will be reduced by £309 million in 2010-11, while Transport Secretary Philip Hammond is discussing a £108 million cut in the DfT grant to TfL with London Mayor Boris Johnson.

NR spending will reduce by £100 million in this financial year, while £112 million cuts within the DfT itself will include a recruitment freeze.